Plumbers' School
by Jyuoa
Summary: The younger Plumbers start training for missions with the help of Max. But when a group of alien bounty hunters attack and capture Max, can they find a way to work together to beat them?
1. Chapter 1

Outside the fields, Alan was ready to go. "I'll see you later." He waved to his mom. He changed into his Pyronite form and flew off. He stopped several feet away in front of the trailer park and changed back to his human form.

He walked along the line of trailers until he found the right one. He opened the door. "Hey, guys."

"Hey, Alan." Helen said. The rest of the Plumber's kids were already there.

"What's up, man?" Manny asked.

"Okay, everyone's here now." Max said. He went over to the driver's seat. The others sat by the table.

The Rustbucket started up and they were on their way.

"So, what's been going on with you guys?" Alan asked. The five only met up a few days after the Highbreed had left the planet. This was the first time they've met since then.

"Still trying to use my powers without getting a headache." Cooper said.

"Yeah, and my flying still needs a little work." Alan said.

"Isn't that why we're all here?" Helen asked. "To get better at using our unique skills to confront an enemy?"

"There's more to being a Plumber than that." Max told them.

"He's right," Pierce said. "I barely have any experience with my powers, but not all Plumbers have powers like us." The Rustbucket then hit some rocky ground.

"Hang on tight." Max told them. "It's going to be a bumpy ride." The group remained in their seats and tried to remain calm, until they hit a really big bump.

"Whoa!" The kids yelled as they fell out of their seats.

"Is everyone okay?" Max asked. He had stopped the vehicle. The group was in a pile on the floor.

"Could be better without that." Manny said. Everyone else groaned.

"We better find a way to untangle ourselves from this mess first." Helen told them.

"Could you make it fast? Because you're all on top of me." Alan called from the bottom of the pile.

"Sorry about that, Alan." Cooper said. The group was struggling to get free.

"Okay, this isn't working." Helen confirmed after trying to run out.

"Yeah, we tried nearly everything." Pierce said.

"Are you sure?" Cooper asked.

"Well, there's one thing we haven't tried." Helen said.

"What's that…ow!"

"Sorry, Manny." Helen said. She'd elbowed him in the waist. But it seemed to work, cause the group was able to move again. The guys stood up.

"Oh, I'm really going to feel that in the morning." Alan said.

"Well, now that we've solved that, let's get moving." The Rustbucket started up again as the group headed for Mount Rushmore.


	2. Chapter 2

The group walked into the hidden underground base at Mount Rushmore. "What is this place?" Helen asked.

"It was a top-secret facility for the Plumbers." Max explained. "Some of these training courses should still be operational." "

What do we need training for?" Manny asked.

"You're all still young and some of your powers are new. This place is designed to help you master them." The room lit up instantly.

"I'm not too late, am I?" A voice asked from one of the dark corners.

"Oh, did I forget to mention that we have one more person joining us today?" Max asked. "Come on out."

A girl with short, dark hair with a pink hoodie and white skirt walked over. She stopped suddenly. "Come on, there's no need to be shy." A little green and black symboite bounced over to her. They continued on their way to join them.

"What was your name again?" Manny asked. "You look familiar."

"Julie." The girl said. "And this is Ship."

"Ship!"

"Aren't you Ben's girl?" Manny asked. "I guess you could say that." Julie blushed. "Anyway, I came because he recommended that I get more practice with using a weapon. In case I get involved in one of their battles again."

"I see."

"Julie, why don't you wait off to the side for a while?" Max asked.

"No problem." She carried Ship off with her.

"Okay, guys. Let's run it." Max told the others. Alan went first. He did well with controlling the flames. Helen followed, and did a great job fighting against a test droid. When she attacked, her speed helped when she struck the enemy. Manny and Pierce did pretty well, too. Cooper was having a bit of trouble.

"Focus, Copper." Max told him. "Try to turn the simulation off."

"I am, but it's tough." Cooper finally managed to do it.

"Okay, here's the deal." Max said. "Alan, you need to practice flying more."

"Right."

"Cooper, you need to practice using your power more." He turned to Helen, Manny, and Pierce. "As for you three, you really need practice with the weapons."

"And that's where I come in." Everyone stared at Julie as she returned. She was in a black and green jumpsuit.

"Whoa, where'd you get that?" Cooper asked.

"Ship took over the technology in this Plumber's suit." Julie said. "And he added a small feature." She aimed her wrist toward a wall and a green blast fired out.

"Now that's cool." Manny said.

"Come on, you four are with me." Max told them. The group followed him to another room. They practiced hitting targets with some of the weapons, and all of them passed.

"Well, that's enough for today." Max said after practice was over. "Remember to practice everyone."

"We will."

"I have to go, anyway." Julie said. "I've got a tennis meeting."

The others walked back to the Rustbucket. "I really should practice using my power more." Cooper told them. "I don't practice often because I still get headaches sometimes."

"My flying really could use more improvement." Alan said. "But, if we keep practicing we'll get better."

"Right." Helen said. "We can all practice on our free time."

"We'll meet back in a few days." Max told them. "I'll be at the trailer park if any of you need help." The group piled into the Rustbucket and started on the road back.


	3. Chapter 3

As the weeks went on, the group's meetings became more frequent. During one of them, things started to go wrong. As they were on their way, it seemed no one could agree on anything.

"Wait, how does that even make sense?" Manny asked.

"Excuse me if I don't like to rush headfirst into everything!" Helen shot back.

Alan groaned. "There they go again."

"You two have been at this for months, would you give it a rest?" Pierce jumped in, trying to break up the argument. "Now, Helen does have a point…"

"Sure, just take her side!" Manny said.

"Hey, I'm her brother!" He protested. "I just want to make sure we don't do anything in over our heads."

"Since when are you the boss around here?" Cooper asked.

"Somebody's got to take charge." Pierce pointed out. "In case you've forgotten, I'm the oldest member of the group…" Then he broke off, nervous that he'd offended Max.

"You two go through this all the time, don't you think it's time you gave it a rest?" Alan asked.

"Forget it." Cooper said. "They've been arguing strategy for weeks now. I know that wouldn't happen with me and Gwen because…"

"Oh, come on!" Helen exclaimed.

"He's not back on that again, is he?" Manny added. "Hasn't anyone told him that she's…" Helen motioned for him to be quiet. He gathered the others minus Cooper into a circle. "Hasn't anyone told him that she's dating that guy who absorbs metal?" He whispered.

"Apparently not." Pierce said.

"Guys, focus!" Alan said. "Do I have to…"

"No!" Everyone yelled at once. They knew that if he turned into his Pyronite form now, the whole vehicle would blow with them inside it.

"Well, we need to pass this test or we're never going to be able to prove ourselves." Helen said.

"That's what brings us back to my plan…" Manny started.

"There's no way I'm listening to you." Alan said.

"Same here, besides I'm on Helen's side with this, man." Pierce told him.

"I think Manny has a point, but there's no way. My powers don't work that way, I'm not…"

"Okay, I've heard enough." Max said. The kids turned to face him. "You guys are a team and you need to start acting like it. Teamwork is the only way you can take down a really tough opponent. You remind me of when I took Ben and Gwen on that road trip."

The group looked at each other. Suddenly, there was a clanging sound from outside. "What was that?" Helen asked. Max tried to stop the motorhome, and it ended up skidding. The group screamed, thinking they were going to be crushed.


	4. Chapter 4

The group looked up and saw that the vehicle had come to a safe stop. "Man, that was really freaky." Manny said.

"Is everyone okay?" Max asked. Everyone nodded. "I don't even know how I did that."

The Helpers stared at Cooper. "What? You'd have done the same thing if you had my powers."

"Okay, at least we're safe." Alan said. Then they saw a laser drilling a hole into the Rustbucket on three sides and the ceiling.

"Or not!" Helen said. "We've got company!"

"Okay, no matter what happens, stick together!" Max told them, trying to keep them calm. "We need a way out of this." Suddenly, the whole in the roof was kicked in. A group of bounty hunters had come after them. One of them grabbed Max.

"Oh, no!" Helen said as they took him away. Everyone stared, helpless.

"Now what?" Manny asked.

"Easy, we find a way out of here and try to come up with a plan." Cooper told them.

"I say we just take them out and demand they return Max to us." Pierce said, realizing how stupid it sounded when he said it."

"Yeah, let's just work on finding a safe way out of here." Alan said.

"Helen, think you can get us out of here?" Manny asked.

"You're kidding, right?" Helen asked. "I can't. I'm fast, but I'm not strong. I'd only be able to get out with Alan and Cooper."

"Maybe we could use a mini-teleporter." Cooper said.

"Do you really think that Max would carry something like that in here?" Helen asked. "All of our weapons are locked up in that secret base."

"Right, my bad." Cooper remembered.

"Alan, how big can you make those rocks to fly on?" Pierce asked.

"There's no way, man. I can't do that when I'm inside." Alan pointed out. "Besides, even if I could, I'd end up blowing this thing up!"

"With all of us inside." Cooper added.

"There has to be someway out of this." Helen said.

"There." Manny pointed to one of the holes that was drilled in.

"You're kidding." Helen said. "Even if we go out that way, they'll probably trap us."

"Not to mention the entire vehicle's already surrounded." Cooper added.

"Cooper, can you set up a hologram system to make them think we're all still in here?" Helen asked.

"Sure, why?"

"You'll see." Helen turned to the others. "Guys, do you remember when we built those invisibility bracelets?"

"Yeah." Manny said.

"You have a plan, don't you?" Pierce asked.

"You bet." Helen said. "Listen up." After everything was set up, the group ran out the back undetected and ran off.

"Great plan, Helen." Manny said as soon as they were far away enough not to be spotted.

"Thanks." Helen said. "Come on, I know a safe place where we can go." Everyone kept going farther away from the site until they couldn't see the enemy anymore.


	5. Chapter 5

Inside a hidden room, the group was sitting around. "Where are we?" Alan asked.

"I remembered this place from one of our first missions." Helen explained. "This is when Manny, Pierce and I got involved in taking down the DNAliens."

"Well, this is just as important." Pierce said. "Our teacher's been kidnapped."

"Well, what are we going to now?" Manny asked. "This was your idea, Helen."

"We had to come up with a plan where those bounty hunters wouldn't hear us." Helen explained.

"What I don't get is why they're after Max in the first place." Alan said. "I knew he was Plumber, but that doesn't explain…"

"Max Tennyson is a well-known Plumber." Cooper explained. "He retired years ago, but he's made a lot of enemies. They probably want revenge."

"And how are we supposed to explain this to the A-team?" Manny asked.

"Are you nuts? We can't get them involved." Helen protested. "They're too far away from the location and they're still recovering from their last mission." Everyone stared at her. "What? Gwen and I talk now and then."

"Well, there has to be something we can do." Alan said.

"Hey, if we didn't give up when the Highbreed almost finished Earth, we are not giving up now." Cooper told them.

"Yeah, what is with you guys?" Pierce asked. "We've got to pull ourselves together or we'll never be able to defeat them."

"If we stick together, we'll find a way to stop them." Helen said. "Cooper, how long does your hologram projector last?"

"About twenty-four hours." He told her.

"That doesn't give us much time."

"I think I see where this is going." Pierce said. "So, when we get back…"

"Okay, this might work." Manny said.

"Everyone, get ready." Helen said. "We're going to have to give this everything we've got." A second later, everyone was gathering materials they'd need for the mission.

"Okay, is everyone set?" Pierce asked after they finished.

"Looks like it." Cooper said.

"Then let's go." Helen said. The group headed back for the motorhome. Night had fallen and the guards were no longer there. They slipped back inside.

"So, now what?" Manny asked.

"They've probably gone off to look for us." Helen explained. "When they can't find us, they're bound to come back."

"I saw one of them sleeping outside." Alan said. "This could still be a trap."

"We'll wait till tomorrow to attack." Helen told them. "But this is going to be tough."


	6. Chapter 6

The next day, the bounty hunters returned and stood in front of the Rustbucket, waiting for the kids to come out. Instead, they found themselves caught in an ambush set up by them. Helen ran by, taking down as many as she could. Alan backed her up from the air, causing a fire storm.

"Watch it!" Manny called. He was busy taking down a few that surrounded him. One of them had come up behind Cooper, but he noticed in time and hit him with one of the weapons he'd found. Pierce helped him out by covering him.

Just then, another group of bounty hunters showed up. One of them was holding Max. "Nobody move…" He said, pointing a laser lance at him. "Or this one gets it."

Everyone stopped fighting. The Helpers felt useless and had no idea what to do. For once, nobody could find the strength to stand up to them. "What'll we do now?" Alan asked. The bounty hunters surrounded them.

"Everyone just stay close and don't attack." Helen said. "We can't risk losing our teacher." Nobody moved. It was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. Even Max didn't know what to say.

Suddenly, something flew past Helen really fast. A red stingray had flown into the air and shocked them from above. Then it took on the form of a blue moth-like creature. "There's only one person I know that can shape-shift like that." Cooper realized.

On another end, two energy spheres hit four of them. They looked up and saw Gwen. She tied the rest of them up with her energy ribbons. "Hey, guys." She waved as soon as she was finished on her end.

On the exact opposite side, Kevin was busy fighting off a group of them, until one of them fired at him. Big Chill flew over and froze the remaining few. "Next time, we're splitting up the normal way." He told him.

"Okay, but you can't blame a guy for trying."

They all made their way over to the one holding Max. Ben changed back into Jetray again. "Let him go or you'll end up like the rest."

"And who are you to talk?" The bounty hunter asked.

Jetray fired at his side, forcing him to let go of Max. Now that he was free, he knocked the bounty hunter out.

A while later, they all re-grouped. "How did you find us out here?" Helen asked.

"We received a distress signal from this area." Kevin explained. "It took us a while because something kept jamming it."

"I knew you'd come help us, Gwen." Cooper said.

"Just part of the job." Gwen told him.

"It looks like you guys managed to do a good job without us here." Ben said.

"But when those guys had your grandfather hostage, we didn't know what to do." Alan said. "We felt so useless."

"We'd have done the same if we were in that situation." Ben reassured them. "Besides, you managed to get them off your backs."

"All of you did great." Max told them. "You're teamwork's really improving. I'm really proud of you kids."

"I guess we'll see you three around." Manny said.

"Hey, anytime you find yourselves in a real jam, just call us." Ben told them. The three then walked off.

"Well, I say it's time we head home, too." Max told them. "There's still a lot to work on, but after this adventure, we could probably use a break."

"I'll say," Helen said. "It was hard leading the team."

"Excuse me, I thought I was the leader here." Pierce said.

"When were you helping us form a plan?" Manny asked. In seconds, the five were arguing again.

"This is going to take a lot of work." Max said.

"Sorry," Pierce said. "You did a great job, Helen."

"Thanks." They piled into the Rustbucket and headed back home.


End file.
